Dear Editor,
Yesterday, I was blocked on Facebook by a profile purportedly belonging to “Regional Chair David Armogan – Reg No. 6”.
I trust that since this is a profile that seeks to represent the people of Region 6, that this blocking of individuals was an error and not done deliberately. Should the latter be the case, then one can only conclude that the person or persons who manage the profile of the Regional Chair is small minded, lacks professionalism and the political maturity to act on behalf of the Chair.
It should be noted that it is more damaging to the reputation of the owner of a profile to resort to unwarranted blocking of individuals. What this action exposes is the inability to accept positive criticism, the obstinacy to accept when an error is made and the immaturity to admit to one’s mistake. What it also betrays is the less than stellar manner in which the concerns of Region 6 constituents are triaged, managed and addressed by those who handle incoming communication and the social media accounts of the Chair.
It is my opinion that this drastic action of an unwarranted blocking was precipitated on my comments on a video claiming to depict the Corentyne River and Islands. The problem with that clip is that the caption and the background song, Dave Martins’ “Not a blade of grass” lent to the impression that the Corentyne River and Islands belonged to Guyana. This was clearly cemented in the comments where many responders expressed a false sense of the geography and the eastern territorial boundary of Guyana.
It appears that my clarification of the false impression got the attention of the handler of the profile in question. My comment was quickly responded to with a silly question, “Where did I say that this was Guyana?”
Nothing had to be said! It was clearly implied as fact in the lyrics that accompanied the video.
I sought to take the discussion offline and sent a personal message to said profile. In my message, I commended the handler of the profile for the quick response to my comment and also reminded him/her that my letters expressing concern with the state of the Corentyne Highway remained unacknowledged.
I was then immediately blocked.
It should be noted that the post has since been removed.
I will allow for minor mistakes. It is quite possible that this was done in error; that the Chair has no knowledge of this drastic and unwarranted action or that it was hastily done. Regardless, the Chair ought to be aware that this sort of action can be seen as muzzling and does more harm than good to his stellar reputation and political standing.
I’m still awaiting an acknowledgement to my letters, messages and video clips on the atrocious state of the highway at Central Corentyne.
Thank you,
Jay Mobeen
